Looping machine



Nov. 4 1924. 1,513,898

F. W. FLECKSER LOOPING MACHINE Filed July 28 19?) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

UNITE STTES FRANK W. FLECKSER,

OF LOCKPOBT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB, TO MARY F. WARD, 0F

LOCKIOlR-T, NEW" YORK.

LOOIPING- MACHINE.

Application filed July 28, 1921. Serial No. 488,076.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, FRANK W. FLECKSER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lockport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Looping Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for attaching loops to tags, cards, disks, pamphlets, books and other articles, a machine of this general character being shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 936,898, dated October 12, 1909.

The object of this invention is to permit of using such a machine for articles of widely varying shapes and dimensions and to insure greater certainty in the operation and permit of a greater output of good work at reduced cost.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved looping machine.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 22 Fig. 1. Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 33 Fig. 1. Figures 4. and 5 are sectional views corresponding respectively to Figures 2 and 3, but. showing the parts in a different position. Figures 6 and 7 are vertical sections, on an enlarged scale, taken on the correspondingly numbered lines in Figure 3. Figure 8 is a plan view of a card provided at one corner with a loop by my improved looping machine.

Similar characters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

The machine as to general organization comprises a main frame, a perforating device, means for supplying twine and drawing the same through a perforated blank, means for tying a knot in the twine, means for severing the loop from the supply of twine, and a carrier which grips the blank and presents the same successively to the blank receiving and perforating, twine applying, knotting and discharging positions.

In its preferred form the frame comprises front and rear longitudinal bars 10, 11, and cross pieces 12 connecting the longitudinal bars, said rear bar 11 being somewhat higher than the front bar 10. Extending over the frame and the working parts within the frame is a cover 13 which is curved and extends from the upper edge of the rear frame bar 11 forwardly and downwardly to the front frame bar 10.

Adjacent to the upper rear part of the main frame and cover is arranged the vertically movable punch 14: of the mechanism which produces a perforation 15 in the article 16 to be looped which punch may be operated in any suitable manner. A short distance in front of this perforating device is arranged the needle 17 of the means whereby the twine 18 for forming the loop 19 is drawn through the perforation 15 of the blank by any approved means. After the twine is drawn through the per foration of the blank, a knot 20 is tied in the twine to form a loop which is secured to the blank and then the completed loop is severed from the supply of twine preparatory to attaching a loop to the next blank 16, which knotting or tying and severing devices are arranged successively in front of the needle which passes the twine through the perforation of the blank.

No claim is made in the present application on the twine feeding, blank perforating, twine threading, knotting and cutting mechanism and a detail showing and description is therefore deemed unnecessary inasmuch as this information is available by reference to the patent previously men-' tioned. I

The present invention is concerned chiefly in the means for gaging the article to be looped and the means for gripping the same and presenting it successively to the blank perforating, twine threading, loop knotting, twine severing, and discharging positions.

These improvements are constructed and operated as follows 21, 22 represent the upper and lower arms of a rocking carrier which is adapted to rock about a horizontal longitudinal axis arranged concentric with the curved cover 13, the upper arms 21 being substantially vertical and projecting through transverse slots 23 in the cover and the lower arms 22 projecting horizontally forward from the lower ends of the upright arms. The arms of the carrier are mounted on a horizontal longitudinal rod or shaft 24;. The latter is jour-' naled on the lower rear part of the main frame and turned forwardly by a rotary cam 25 engaging a roller 26 on the lower arm 22 of the carrier and backwardly by a spring 27 connecting this lower arm with the main frame or other suitable member. The carrier shifting cam is mounted on a driving shaft 28 journaled in suitable bearing in the main frame and receiving power from any available source.

At the upper ends of the upper carrier arms 21, the same are provided above the cover 13 with a horizontal longitudinal supporting bar 29 and the latter is provided at its rear edge with an upwardly projecting longitudinal gage flange 30, the front side 3]. of which at times is utilized as a main gage face for properly locating the article preparatory to looping the same. 32 represents substantially horizontal supporting table mounted on the upper ends of the upper carrier arms and projecting forwardly from the supporting bar and its gage flange, as shown in Figure 15i.

When it is desired to attach a loop to an article at a considerable distance from one edge of the same, the blank or article is placed with it's gaging edge directly against the front or gage face 31 of the flange 30 which latter is arranged a considerable dis tance rearward of the perforating punch when this gage flange is in rearmost position. When, however, the article to be looped, requires the loop receiving perforation arranged nearer the edge of the blank or article, then a gage filling piece 33 is provided which is preferably constructed in the form of a longitudinalstrip of metal which is detachably secured to the upper side of the supporting table by means of screws 3a or otherwise so that the front edge 35 of this filler strip serves as the rear supplemental gage face instead of the gage flange 30 By employing gage strips 33 of various widths, it is possible to "so gage the article at its rear edge that the perforation which receives the loop will be arranged at such a distance from the rear edge of the same as best suits the particular shape or size of this article or the use to which the same is put. Y

In addition to the rear gage for the article to be looped there is provided a side gage for the side edge of the article which side gage is preferably constructed of a strip or bar of metal which is arranged transversely on that part of the supporting table opposite to the perforating means and is adjustable lengthwise of thetable to suit articles of different length, For this purpose, the side gage is provided with a longitudinal adjusting bar 36 which has a longitudinal slot 37 adapted to receive a clamping screw 38 which may engage one or another of a plurality of threaded openings 39 arranged in a longitudinal row in the supporting table. By shifting screw 38 from one opening 39 to another and also shifting the slotted bar 36 on this screw the side gage may be positioned at any place lengthwise of the supporting table to suit the length of the article which requires side gaging preparatory to perforating and looping the same, 7 a

While the blank is being presented to perforating means, in the rearmost position of the carrier and then successively presented to the twine threading means, knotting means, and twine cutter, the blank is held in place on the table by agripping mechanism in its gaged position thereon and after the .loop has been completed and severed from the supply twine, this gripping mechanism operates to release said blank during the last part of the forward movement of the carrier in order to discharge the blank after the same is provided with a loop, and then the gripping mechanism remains open during the rearward movement of the car; 'rier so as to enable the operator to place another unlooped blank between the table and the gripping mechanism preparatory to closing the latter and holding the blank in its proper position for subsequently performing the perforating, threading, knotting and loop severing operations thereon.

The preferred form of the gripping mechanism which embodies my invention is constructed as follows Movable toward and from the upper side of the supporting table adjacent to the rear gage are arranged one or more grippers, two being shown for example in Flgure 1,

adjacent to opposite ends of the table. Each of these grippers comprises a head 40, a shank 4E1 projecting rearwardly from the head and adapted to be mounted on the carrier so as to be capable of rockingverti--- cally, and one or more gripping teeth or pins 42 projecting downwardly from the underside of the head and mounted thereon so as to be capable of yielding vertically, two of such teeth or pins being preferably employed side by side lengthwise of the sup porting table or transversely of the head as shown in the drawings.

Each of the gripping pins is preferably provided with a downwardly pointed or tapering lower end 4:3 and is guided in a guide opening 44., the upper part of which is enlarged and receives an enlargement or collar 45 on the gripper pin. The upper enlarged end of the guide opening L4 is closed by a cover or cap plate 46 which is detachably secured to the head by a screw 47. l Vithin the enlarged part of the opening 44 is arranged a spring 71. which bears at its lower end against the collar 45 of the respective gripper pin and at its opposite end against said cap plate 46. When this gripper descends upon a blank which has been placed on the table eachiof the pins yields more or less and thus adapts itself to any variation in thickness inthe blank and insures obtaining a firm hold on the same regardless of such variation. Furthermore by providing the gripper with two gripper pins or teeth, the same engages with the blank simultaneously at different points and thus prevents the same from turning on the table and getting out of place as has been the case when'only one gripper tooth was employed on the head, which resulted in the blank moving out of place on the table after being perforated and thus ren der it impossible to draw the twine through the previously formed perforation and providing the same with an accurately placed and neatly formed loop. This is particularly important when only one gripper head is used inasmuch as two gripper pins on the same hold the blank reliably against turning out of place which is not possible when employing but a single gripper pin on each gripper.

The grippers may be moved toward and from the table by various means, but preferably by the means which are shown in the drawings inasmuch as they have proven satisfactory in actual practice. As there shown, these gripper operating means comprise a rock shaft 48 journaled horizontally and lengthwise in the bearings 49 on the carrier in rear of the gage flange thereof, and a plurality of carrying blocks secured to the gripper rock shaft and each provided. with a transverse opening in which the supporting rod of one of the grip pers is secured by means of clamping screw 51. By shifting the supporting rod of each gripper lengthwise in its respective carrying block the place at which the grip per pins of the respective grippers engage may be varied to suit the shape and dimensions of the same. The gripper rock shaft is turned rearwardly, which the grippers recede from the table, by means of a lower rock arm 52 secured to the gripper rock shaft and projecting forwardly therefrom through a vertical guide slot 53 in the main gage flange 30, a rock lever 54 pivoted at its front end on the lower part of the main frame to swing vertically, an upright push rod 55 pivoted at its lower end on the rear end of the lever 54 and guided near its upper end in an opening 56 in the carrier rearwardly of the main gage bar of the same and engaging its upper end with the underside of the lower rock arm 52 and a rotary cam 5'? arranged on the main driving shaft 28 and engaging its front side with a roller 58 mounted on a rock arm 59 projecting upwardly from the front end of the rock lever 54. The forward movement of the rock shaft 48 for causing the grippers to approach the supporting table and clamp or grip the article to be looped thereon is efiected by an upper rock arm 60 projecting upwardly from the rear part of the lower rock arm 52, an ador in the direction 111' just-ing screw 61 arranged in a bracket 62 projecting upwardly from the main gage flange and a spring 63 connecting the rear end of the adjusting screw and the upper rock arm 60. When very small articles are being looped only one of the grippers need be employed and when the article is of such size that two or more grippers are required, then the grippers may be adjusted lengthwise of the gripper shaft 48 to suit the particular article in hand, this adjustment being possible by means of the clamping screws 72 whereby the blocks 50 are secured to the shaft 48. This looping machine not only permits of applying loops to articles varying in shape and dimensions, but it enables this work to be done quickly and efficiently and practically without any misses, thereby increasing the output of the machine accordingly and reducing the cost of work done of this character.

I claim as my invention:

1. A looping machine comprising means for producing a perforation in an article, a carrier for said article movable forwardly and backwardly relatively to said perforating means, and a gripper mounted on said carrier and having a yielding pin adapted to engage said article.

2. A looping machine comprising means for producing a perforation in an article, a carrier for said article movable forwardly and backwardly relatively to said perforating means, and a gripper mounted on said carrier and having a head provided with an opening, a gripper pin sliding in said opening and adapted to engage said article, and a spring operating to hold said pin yieldingly in its foremost position.

A looping machine comprising means for producing a perforation in an article, a carrier for said article movable forwardly and backwardly relatively to said perforating means, and a gripper mounted on said carrier and having a head provided with a recess the upper part of which is enlarged, a pin guided: in said opening and having an enlargement arranged in the enlargement of said opening, a cap plate closing the upper end of said opening, and a spring arranged in said opening and engaging said cap plate and the enlargement on the pin.

4. A looping machine comprising means for producing a perforation in an article, a carrier for said article movable forwardly and baokwardly relatively to said perforat ing means, and a gripper mounted on said carrier and having a plurality of pins and adapted to engage said article simultaneously.

5. A looping machine comprising means for producing a perforation in an article, a carrier for said article movable forwardly and backwardly relatively to said perforating means, a gripper movable toward and from said carrier, and means for operating said gripper comprising a rock shaft journaled on the carrier and supporting said gripper, ZL-iOWBL rock arm connected with I said rock shaft, and guided on said carrier, a jrotary cam, a rock lever having an arm engaging with said cam, a push rod guided. onthe carrler and connected at one end wlth said rock lever and engaging its other end with said rock arm, an upperrock arm connected with said lower rock arm,an adjusting screw mounted on the carrier, and a spring connecting said screw and upper rock arm.

FRANK W. FLECKSER. 

